At the Games & Society Lab at Uppsala University, Joshua Juvrud takes an individualistic approach using psychological methods to understand better how different game players (with different personalities, traits, and experiences) interact with various game mechanics, and are in turn affected by game experiences. Research questions and findings are therefore highly relevant for both developers of games and digital media, as well as psychologists, sociologists, and health scientists. As a researcher in the Games & Society Lab, you have the opportunity to work with digital and physical games (e.g., video games, board games, LARPING) in an experimental context using research tools such as eye-tracking and psychophysiological measures to answer questions related to human behavior. Participate in research seminars, conduct experiments with games, and work alongside leading researchers.
Research topics may include:
- Learning. The information that influences attention and subsequent learning may include other sensory inputs, cognitive processes, emotion or emotional responses, or prior experiences and future expectations. Understanding these influences on attention may help us to, in turn, be able to predict, based on eye movements, in what ways the player is experiencing a game. By associating eye-gaze patterns with measures of player expertise, skill, and enjoyment, we can use eye-gaze to understand and predict player experiences. For example, how do skills developed as a musician affect learning and performance in a game. This research is informative for understanding not only learning a game and its mechanics, but also how that learning transfers to new games, new contexts, and even to learning situations outside of the game (such as motor ability).
- Social perception. Using eye-tracking methodology, we measure fixations, gaze direction, scanning patterns, and pupil dilation in order to understand individual differences in how people perceive various components of art and design in gaming, including characters and environments. This is extremely informative for game design, but also for understanding how individuals are learning and responding to digital media. With this knowledge, we can improve game design in order to assist in positive learning experiences for individuals.
- Prosocial and antisocial behavior. We examine how children and adults view and then consequently interact with a game, the community within the game, and how those experiences influence prosocial and antisocial behavior both within and outside of the game. We integrate state of the art psychology tests with game design research in order to learn more about how people are affected by games. This unique combination allows an individualistic approach and focus on how different gamers (with different personalities, traits, and experiences) are affected by various game mechanisms. Using eye tracking techniques further allows a new perspective by linking individual characteristics to the microstructure of attention and decision-making during the game and relates this to game mechanics and altruistic outcomes, and looks at long-term consequences for their moral compass and social actions throughout life.
Research Assistantship Hours
You will spend 180 hours directly engaged in research, together with 20 hours in co-curricular activities, during your RAship. The research will take place at Uppsala University, ranked one of the top universities in the world, in the city of Uppsala. Please note that approximately 8 hours per week will consist of commuting between Stockholm and Uppsala by train (2 hours back-and-forth total per day). Hours may also not be distributed evenly across weeks – there may be peak times in the research process where all Research Assistants are expected to spend a few more hours – and then possibly a few less – another week, to reflect the individual research project and process.
Field Studies: Culture & Language
As a co-curricular complement to your summer research, you will meet every Wednesday, together with faculty from the DIS European Humanities program, for a 6-week introduction to culture and language in Stockholm.
Select Mentor Publications
- Juvrud, J., Gredebäck, G., Åhs, F., Lerin, N., Nyström, P., Kastrati, G., & Rosén, J. (2018). The Immersive Virtual Reality Lab: Possibilities for Remote Experimental Manipulations of Autonomic Activity on a Large Scale. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 12, 305. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2018.00305
- Juvrud, J. et al. (2022). Game or watch: The effect of interactivity on arousal and engagement in video game media. IEEE Transactions on Games, 14(2), 308–317.
Related Discipline(s)
This summer course would also be of interest to the following discipline(s):Child Development, Sociology
